It was another stormy day in New Orleans, but I really, really, really needed to ride my bike. That meant breaking one of my unofficial biking rules that I learned from my dad: never start a ride in the rain. No such choice today, so I put on my quick-dry skirt and raincoat, tied a plastic bag on the fancy leather saddle, rolled up my waterproof pannier (thank you, Ortlieb!,) and headed down to the Quarter to meet S. for dinner before joining other friends for Treme in the Treme. Continue reading
New Orleans
Jasmine On a Brick Wall at Governor Nicholls and Chartres
Oh, it’s muggy out there–the kind of muggy that means my glasses fog up when I step out of air conditioned buildings, or even when I’m just breathing a little hard from pedaling fast. I headed out on the Surly to check out Jazz Fest crowds and also to get away from news coverage of the river of oil gushing in the Gulf. Continue reading
Installation Art On Esplanade and N. Tonti
I spent a good deal of my afternoon and evening reading as much as I could about the oil spill. Well, it’s not actually an oil spill. It’s a river of oil, gushing with no end in sight. A few days ago, we were told this river wouldn’t touch Louisiana, it wouldn’t be a Louisiana event. Today, though, foils reported smelling oil. That’s what happens when they burn the ocean and the wind blows. Continue reading
Sinkhole at Baronne and Terpsichore
It was a beautifully cool night for my ride home up Baronne from the Treme after a lovely evening dog walk (read: chase) at City Park with S. and her handsome but mannerless pitbull. I love these nights when it’s cool enough for a light sweater, even on the bike. S. asked me what route I was going to take, and I told her I didn’t know, but probably Baronne. Continue reading
Request to Pick Up After Your Dog in the Carrollton Neighborhood
Today was the last day of classes, and though it started off rainy and windy, by the time the afternoon rolled around the weather was absolutely picture perfect. After toasting the seniors with an afternoon beer and toasting the rest of the School of Liberal Arts faculty at our end-of-the-year BBQ, I took the bike around Uptown coffee shoppes and bookstores as I distributed posters for some events coming up this weekend. Continue reading
French Quarter Skyline from Barracks and Burgundy
Oh, it was another beautiful day in New Orleans! So why was I so grumpy? It was the last day of my introductory course up at school, and even though I love school’s-out-for-summer as much as the next one, I get a little sad to see each group go. After a nice lunch and a ride home for some pleasure reading, I headed back out on the bike to meet J. at the gym. Continue reading
G. Joseph Sullivan Pumping Station #6 in Old Metairie
I woke up this morning with a major case of senioritis. The semester is almost over, but it’s not over. I, however, am over it. After classes–which went well in spite of my spring fever–I rode the Surly to lunch and then set out to try to get lost. It was a perfect day for that kind of ride, and it was exactly what I needed. I rode around Mid-City and then up Canal to Old Metairie for a frozen yogurt. Yeah, a long ride for TCBY, but sometimes we’ve just got to do it. Continue reading
Wildflowers at Perrier and Valence
After yesterday’s disappointing duckling search, I decided to take T.’s advice and ride my bike around Audubon Park in search of Uptown baby birds. No such luck–I must be catching them all at their naptime–but I did see a whole bunch of herons, egrets, grown ducks, and turtles. It was a lovely day, and lots of folks were running and walking and rollerblading and biking and staring at birds. Continue reading
Piles of Traffic Signs on Lafitte Near N. White
I hopped on the Surly a little after five o’clock with a single-minded focus: ducklings. I saw some a couple weeks ago when I went kayaking with K. and M., and I heard through the grapevine that the ducklings were getting big. And there’s nothing cuter than teen ducks. I cheerfully zipped over to Bayou St. John, fully expecting to see dozens of the furry little guys. Continue reading
Fleur d’Eden Rose Garden at 2111 Baronne
I woke up early to make the final day on the training with the Alliance for Biking and Walking with my fellow dedicated bike activists. It wasn’t easy on this Sunday to drag myself onto my bike and pedal over to OC Haley for more small group work; my fatigue was showing, but it was a really useful wrap up session. We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us, but I think we’ve also got some good plans coming out of the weekend too, and that’s fantastic. I sleepily pedaled home in the afternoon, looking forward to a nice nap. And then I smelled roses. Continue reading
What I Saw Riding My Bike Around Today 